WEBVTT AGE WHEREIT BELONGS.DAVE: HURRICANE IRMA WAS APOWERFUL FORCE OF NATURE,KNOCKING OUT POWER, DAMAGINGBUILDINGS, TOPPLING TREES, ANDIT POINTED OUT WEAKNESSES WITHSEVERAL LOCAL SEWER SYSTEMS. JEFF PRATHER: WE DID SEE SOMESANITARY SEWER OVERFLOWS.DAVE: WESH 2 INVESTIGATES WENTTHROUGH DOZENS OF SEWER RELATEDISSUES REPORTED TO STATEENVIRONMENTAL OFFICIALS.AND WE LEARNED THOSE REPORTS WESTUDIED LED TO WARNING LETTERSFOR 17 UTILITIES.POWER OUTAGES CAUSED SYSTEMS TOFAIL, EXCESS RAIN WATER GOT INTOSYSTEMS BECAUSE OFINFRASTRUCTURE WEAKNESSES, WHICHLED TO RELEASES OF RAW SEWAGE,OR TREATED WASTEWATER INTOLAKES, RIVERS, OR STREAMS, EVEN,SENSITIVE PROTECTED WATERS.IN THE AFTERMATH OF IRMA,BREVARD COUNTY'S SEWER SYSTEMWAS OVERWHELMED, A MIXTURE OFRAW SEWAGE AND WASTEWATER ENDEDUP IN THE LAGOON.MARK REAGAN: IT IS BAD, WE KNOWIT'S BAD.DAVE: THAT FROM A BREVARD COUNTYUTILITIES ENGINEER AT A MEETINGOF THOSE DEDICATED TO PROTECTINGTHE INDIAN RIVER LAGOON.MARK REAGAN: PROBABLY 20 MILLIONGALLONS OF THE MIXTURE OF RAWSEWAGE AND STORM WATER OVERFLOWWAS RELEASED FROM THE SEWERSYSTEM INTO THE LAGOON.DAVE: REAGAN SAYS HEAVY RAINSDUMPED AN ESTIMATED 2 BILLIONGALLONS OF WATER ON JUST BREVARDCOUNTYHE KNOWS THE OLDER CLAY SEWERPIPES UNDERGROUND ARE CRACKEDFROM AGE AND SETTLING.THESE PHOTOS OF PAST SMOKE TESTSSHOW JUST MANY CRACKS AND BREAKSTHERE ARE.MILLIONS IS BEING SPENT TOSLEEVE THESE PIPES SO RAIN WATERCAN'T GET IN SO EASILY IN THEFUTURE.THE STATE SAYS THE WARNINGLETTERS ARE INTENDED TO START CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT WENTWRONG, WHAT CAUSED THE SPILL,AND HOW TO PREVENT IT IN THEFUTURE.THE STATE ADMITS THINGS MUST BEBETTER.JEFF PRATHER: SOME OF IT MAY BEACTUALLY REPLACING OLDERINFRASTRUCTURE THAT DOESN'HANDLE ALL THAT WATER AS WELL,SOME IT IS BACKUP POWER.WE WANT TO SEE THESE BEELIMINATED, AND WE WANT TO GETBETTER EVERY DAY, AND WE'REGOING TO HELP THE UTILITIES GETTHERE.DAVE: BOTH THE STATE AND THEUTILITY SAY THAT DESPITE THEINITIAL POLLUTION FEARS, HIGWATER, SUNSHINE, AND TIME HELPEDDIMINISH ANY LONG TE-- LONG TERM ENVIRONMENTALIMPACT.MARK REAGAN: WITHIN MAYBE A WEEKTO 10 DAYS IT WAS DETERMINED TO, BE CLEAR.JEFF PRATHER: THESE ARE THINGSTHAT WE DON'T WANT TO HAVEHAPPEN, BUT THE LONG TERMAFFECTS ARE NOT THERE.DAVE: AND THIS PROMISE TO ALLUTILITY CUSTOMERS.JEFF PRATHER: THE GOAL IS TO NOTHAVE ANY SANITARY SEWEROVERFLOWS.

Hurricane Irma was a powerful force of nature, knocking out power, damaging buildings, toppling trees and exposing weaknesses in several Central Florida sewer systems. WESH 2 News Investigates went through dozens of sewer-related issues reported to state environmental officials and learned that those reports led to warning letters for 17 utilities. Power outages caused systems to fail, excess rainwater got into systems because of infrastructure weaknesses, which led to releases of raw sewage or treated wastewater into lakes, rivers or streams, and even some sensitive protected waters.In the aftermath of Irma, Brevard County's sewer system was overwhelmed with a mixture of raw sewage and wastewater that ended up in the lagoon.“Probably 20 million gallons of a mixture of raw sewage and storm water overflow, was released from the sewer system into the lagoon,” Brevard County Utilities engineer Mark Reagan said. Reagan said heavy rains dumped an estimated 2 billion gallons of water on Brevard County.Photos of past smoke tests show that many clay sewer pipes underground are cracked. Millions is being spent to sleeve these pipes so rain water can't get in so easily in the future. The state said the warning letters are intended to start a conversation about what went wrong, what caused the spill and how to prevent it in the future. Both the state and the utility said that despite the initial pollution fears, high water sunshine and time, helped diminish any long term environmental impact.The water's been sampled in the canals where the water's been discharged and within maybe a week to 10 days, it was determined to be clear and free for use again."The state said loans and other assistance is available to help utilities improve.

WESH 2 News Investigates went through dozens of sewer-related issues reported to state environmental officials and learned that those reports led to warning letters for 17 utilities.

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Power outages caused systems to fail, excess rainwater got into systems because of infrastructure weaknesses, which led to releases of raw sewage or treated wastewater into lakes, rivers or streams, and even some sensitive protected waters.

In the aftermath of Irma, Brevard County's sewer system was overwhelmed with a mixture of raw sewage and wastewater that ended up in the lagoon.

“Probably 20 million gallons of a mixture of raw sewage and storm water overflow, was released from the sewer system into the lagoon,” Brevard County Utilities engineer Mark Reagan said.

Reagan said heavy rains dumped an estimated 2 billion gallons of water on Brevard County.

Photos of past smoke tests show that many clay sewer pipes underground are cracked.

Millions is being spent to sleeve these pipes so rain water can't get in so easily in the future. The state said the warning letters are intended to start a conversation about what went wrong, what caused the spill and how to prevent it in the future.

Both the state and the utility said that despite the initial pollution fears, high water sunshine and time, helped diminish any long term environmental impact.

The water's been sampled in the canals where the water's been discharged and within maybe a week to 10 days, it was determined to be clear and free for use again."

The state said loans and other assistance is available to help utilities improve.